The top international prospect for the Tigers is now Lorenzen, a former Phillies trade chip.
In a recent piece on MLB Pipeline, a well-known figure for fans of the Philadelphia Phillies is highlighted as each MLB team’s top international prospect. Sadly, a trade in 2023 took this elite prospect away from the team.
As of Pipeline’s most recent update, 20-year-old second baseman Hao-Yu Lee is ranked as the eighth prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization and has also been named the team’s top international prospect. On August 1st of last year, the former Phillies prospect was traded for Michael Lorenzen, a starter/reliever who had some fantastic moments during his brief tenure with the team. After an All-Star season, Lorenzen remains a free agent, awaiting his opportunity with a new team.
After initially signing a $570,000 contract as an 18-year-old out of Taiwan, he quickly ascended the Phillies prospect list thanks to his strong work ethic and baseball instincts, which made him better than most predicted.
By trade, Lee is a middle infielder, but in his three seasons in the Phillies minor league system, he flashed an above-average hit tool. Lee slashed.282/.376/.432 with 16 home runs and 90 RBI in 163 games during portions of those three years. Even though he is only 5-foot-9 and weighs just under 200 pounds, he has some pop in his bat, especially in light of the fact that he may have gained nearly 10 pounds in the offseason to bulk up as he approaches a promotion.
Lee went to the Arizona Fall League where he slashed last season after getting hurt and missing out on playing in the Tigers minor leagues.Over 13 games, he batted 265/.373/.367 with one home run and nine RBI.
According to the most recent update from Bleacher Report, the Tigers have the eighth-ranked farm system, so it is impressive to see someone like Hao-Yu Lee take this honor. There were two long-term solutions up the middle of the diamond that blocked Lee while he was in Philadelphia.
The Phillies’ infield combination for the foreseeable future appears to be Trea Turner, who recently signed an 11-year, $300 million contract, and Bryson Stott, who had a breakout year in his sophomore season, hitting close to.300 the entire time while playing defense worthy of a Gold Glove.
Pitching was crucial at the deadline last year because of injuries that cast doubt on the rotation. Just off his first All-Star appearance, Lorenzen looked to provide the Phillies with another weapon in October, either out of the bullpen or out of the rotation.
The eighth-ranked prospect for the Tigers wants to improve his swing and grow into a mature adult as well as a minor league player. He will always have an advantage on the baserunning and defensive sides of the ball thanks to his natural baseball instincts. Lee might be promoted to the Tigers’ higher minor league teams, perhaps the Double-A Erie SeaWolves this season, if he has a successful season at bat.
On January 15, the 2024 international signing window will open, sparking a rush of activity and the signing of international amateur free agent prospects. While some signings will occur over the course of the year, the majority will occur immediately during the signing period, which ends on December 15.
With the addition of William Bergolla and Starlyn Caba, two of the team’s best prospects, the Phillies have established a significant presence in the foreign prospects market.
